Moral obligation
A moral obligation is a duty that personal urges, cultural training, and genetics cause an individual to attempt to fulfill. In the past, moral obligation was defined by the church or law. But even as the world has become more secularized, still intelligent people have felt a responsibility for contributing to the society--even if there was no external church or law to make them do it.
Traditional sources for moral obligation
A long-standing source for moral obligation has been the Ten Commandments which according to Exodus came directly from God himself. And Exodus records Moses's difficulties in installing the new moral obligations in the society.
God's personal appearances have been rarer in modern times. And the different religions have had different approaches toward defining the changing moral obligations of men and women. The Roman Catholic Church has depended on the hierarchical mechanisms of encyclicals from the Pope to the other bishops to inform the churches and then, in turn, down the hierarchy inform the lay members of the community of changes in moral obligations.
In contrast, Protestant churches generally depend on the church-goer's personal conscience to alert the person when changes in moral obligations are necessary. Still, there is an important role for the pastor; the pastor can deliver a strong message to "prick the conscience" of the hearer.
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